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How to Smooth and Paint Cladding Body Color 101 Like the EXT

MS03 2500

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OK painting cladding 101

Pre Prep do not put any cleaner or stuff to make them shiny for a couple of months before you try this.

First keep the area CLEAN VERY IMPORTANT
Second buy lots of sand paper

80 open grit
100 normal grit
320 normal grit
400 grit wet and dry
  800 Wet and Dry
1000 Wet and Dry
2000 Wet and Dry
Tack Rags

Random Orbital Sander
Plastic/Leather Prep cleaner
Adhesion Promoter
High Build Filler Primer

Things to remember unless you are familiar with body work I would not try to use power equipment to sand primer or paint, hand sand them.

It takes several days to complete; I suggest you buy at least one spare piece for practice.

I?m no professional painter I learned by trial and error with practice.

www.eastwood.com or www.autopaintersupply.com  are good places to find the stuff, if you can?t find it locally
 

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Step 1

Remove the cladding you can not possibly sand(smooth) and paint them without removing them, I just bought a spare set off eBay for 200 bucks any year will fit any other year. The ones on mine are actually 02s.


Step 2

With the Random Orbital use a 80 grit open face sand paper to get it almost smooth (do not go all the way flat).   You will have little strings (looks like hair) on the cladding so don't worry about it.

Step 3

With the sander use 100 grit sand paper to finish smoothing the cladding and get rid of the hairs

Step 4

Clean the pieces with a Tack rag and move them to a clean area or clean up the current area

Step 5

Spray the piece with a Plastic/Leather Prep cleaner

Step 6

Apply the plastic adhesion promoter but it on thick as you can without it running, follow the directions on the can for drying time.
(Some Brands of promoter says apply primer or paint within 20 minutes, some say to let it dry)

What the promoters does is melt the outer skin of the cladding and also seals it. The discoloration on the cladding actually comes from within the cladding so sealing it is very important.

The picture is before promoter was applied
 

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Step 7

Apply the Primer if you use a Hi build sandable primer it will fill in the pin holes in the cladding (and yes you will have them, no way around it.)
Let it dry By the way play attention to what the can says drying time is taking into account your temperature and humidity levels. I let mine sit overnight.

Step 8

Lightly sand the first coat of primer with 100 grit using a sanding blocks. You will be taking a lot of it off but you have to fill the pin holes in.

Step 9

Prime again with the Hi build primer and let it dry. After it is dry sand with 200 grit sand paper and this time just try to get it smooth, the pin holes should be filled by now. Remember the primer will shrink some what when it dries so where the pin holes are may be low.

Step 10

Prime again with the Hi Build primer and let it dry. This time lightly sand with a 320 grit Sand paper it should be getting shiny now.

Step 11

Change to a 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wet sand it, after this it will be shiny and ready for paint.

When wet sanding make sure to clean the sand paper frequently


The first Picture is after the Adhesion promoter was added the second is after final wet sanding
 

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Disclaimer I am not a Professional Paint but this is how I did mine

Step 13

Bought 10 cans of Duplicolor Paint use this because it best color matched my Metallic Pewter paint and very carefully put 6 coats of paint on the pieces. DO NOT SAND the paint.
You must match the metallic pattern on your truck or it won?t look right.

Step 14

Bought a gallon of clear coat paint used a HVLP paint to shoot three coats of clear on the pieces.
Be carefully you have to put on a heavy coat, but not enough to make it run. Use a mask and try to protect the area I used plastic to enclose an area

Step 15

Once they are dry start with an 800 wet/dry sandpaper and wet sand, then 1000 wet/dry sandpaper finally use 2000 wet/dry sandpaper Optional you can use 3000 wet/dry sandpaper if you can find it.

Step 16

Use a polishing compound on them
 
Last edited:
Here are some pictures
 

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This is how it will come out. I'm going to replace the tail gate when I get time with a Escalade EXT tailgate.  >:D

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New here, just stumbled across this, the cladding came out awesome man!! Thank you for posting the step by step on this, did you ever put the EXT gate on? I am curious how it looks.... I know this is a little old, but just curious.
 
Nope never put it on yet.
 
YEP - it does look good! How's it holding up? How many hours do you think you put in? Looks like a ton of work but worth every minute!
 
I think I painted it in 08 or 09, I'll have to look at the pictures when I get home to see when I took them. It has held up very well no signs of peeling. Time wise it took about a week and from junk yard cladding pieces.


Turns out it was sept of 07 when I did this.
 
If I did I would charge over $1,000. This is truly the hardest and time consuming mod I have ever did.
 
but now that your retired..............................and have all that room........................hehe are you in KY yet B?

Didit
 
Not yet Didit cleaning up a few things at my mothers place so I don't have to come back every weekend. Installed a gas dryer today so if the house does not blowup tomorrow I'm good to go.
 
lol I hear ya, when you get settled in, we'll have to stop by some weekend, If your an early riser, I'm usually headed south on 65 to Louisville from 5-7 or so in the am 5 days a week!

Didit
 
Well after many years of abuse my Tailgate spoiler was beat to hell, so I did a bit of touch up.
I hit it with 320 wet sandpaper and repainted it, going to put some 3M paint defender on it next and I'll post the final picture later.

Before

IMG_20130724_105232_255_zps95835529.jpg




After painting

IMG_20130724_132911_448_zps286ce37b.jpg



Walting for the 3M stuff  to dry

IMG_20130724_140500_633_zpsa0d0e0e4.jpg
 
I've started "blacking out" my 2008 LTZ. Debadging was pretty easy, and cheap. I also plasti-dipped my front grill and bowtie, rear bowtie, and mirror covers. I just had a buddy install new black painted door handles to replace the chrome. Rims would be great but too expensive right now. It sure is hard to find sail fins online to paint. Don't really want to use mine because it's my daily driver and it would take me a while to finish the work.
 
It's not that hard to find a spare set.  Check EBAY or look in the for sale section of the site.
 
MS03 2500 said:
If I did I would charge over $1,000. This is truly the hardest and time consuming mod I have ever did.

Well, i DO do this for a living, and your statement here is PRICELESS!!!!! I love it!!!! I'm always trying to "justify" why paint shops charge what they charge and to hear a guy that got some balls and ACTUALLY DID IT ON HIS OWN as an admitted "novice" say what you said is music to my ears!!!! Good for you for doing it!!! I love helping guys with "paint stuff", so if you ever have any questions on anything and the "Eastwood hotline" is closed, hit me up ANYTIME man! Much respect for you for doing it without any help(other than label instructions). Could "critique ya a little" as a painter, but soooooooo not touching that because you rock for doing it!!!!(and did an awesome job with just "label instructions" and the "Eastwood Helpline")

Good for you!!! Awesome job!!! PM me if ya ever wanna "talk paint".
 
Hanz Groober said:
Good for you!!! Awesome job!!! PM me if ya ever wanna "talk paint".

You also if you every want to know how to do it right PM me. There is a wrong way and a right way, but folks want to do it their way


Painted Cladding Nation.
 
It's not that hard just takes a long time waiting for the paint to dry.
 
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